親愛的兄弟姐妹們，

隨著世界主教會議第16屆常規會議的第一期會議逐漸接近尾聲，我們願與大家一起，為我們剛剛經歷的美好而豐富的體驗一起感謝天主。我們在與你們大家深刻的共融中度過了這段受祝福的時光。我們得到你們祈禱的支持，把你們的期望、你們的請求以及你們的擔憂帶到會議中。自從兩年前，應教宗方濟各的要求，開始了一個漫長的聆聽和分辨的過程，這個過程向所有天主子民敞開，沒有人被排除在外，跟隨基督耶穌的眾傳教使徒在聖神的指引下“同行”。

自9月30日在羅馬召開的這期會議構成這進程的一個重要階段。從許多方面來看，這是一次前所未有的經歷。在教宗方濟各的邀請下，首次有男性和女性，因著他們的聖洗坐在同一桌旁，不僅參與討論，還參與這次世界主教會議的投票。在我們的聖召、神恩和職務的互補中，我們一起認真聆聽天主聖言和他人的經驗。我們以在聖神內對話的方式，謙卑地分享了各大洲團體的富饒與貧乏，努力分辨聖神想對當今教會說的話。我們也因此體會到促進拉丁教會傳統與東方基督徒傳統之間相互交流的重要性。其他教會和教會團體的兄弟代表們的參與，極大地豐富了我們的討論。

這次會議是在一個處在危機的世界背景下舉行的，這些創傷和可恥的不平等在我們心中激起了痛苦的共鳴，給我們的會議添加了一種特別的沉重感，更何況我們中的一些人來自戰火紛飛的國家。我們為凶殺暴力的受害者祈禱，同時不忘記那些因貧困和腐敗而被迫踏上移民的危險之路的人。我們向世界各地促進正義與和平的男女工匠們表達團結互助，並與他們並肩工作。

應聖父教宗的邀請，我們給靜默留下了重要的空間，幫助我們以尊重的態度相互聆聽和在聖神內共融的願望。在開幕式的大公守夜祈禱中，我們深感在默觀被釘十字架的基督時，對合一的渴望在增強。“實際上，十字架是基督唯一的寶座，祂為了世界的得救而獻出生命，並將祂的門徒託付給天父，使‘眾人都合而為一'（若十七21）”。教宗方濟各在這次會議伊始提醒道：“在主的復活帶給我們的希望中牢固地團結在一起，我們把共同家園託付給祂，在這家園中，越來越迫切地迴盪著地球的呼喚和窮人的呼求：‘請讚頌天主’（Laudate Deum）！”

時間一天一天地過去，我們感受到對牧靈和傳教皈依的呼籲日益迫切。這是因為教會的使命是宣講福音，不是專注於自己，而是為天主愛世人的無限之愛服務（參考：若三16）。住在聖伯多祿廣場附近的一些無家可歸者，被問及他們在這次世界主教會議期間對教會的期望時，他們回答說：“愛！” 這愛必須始終是教會炙熱的心，是聖三的愛和聖體之愛。這是教宗於10月15日大會進行到一半時，引用聖女小德肋撒的一句話。是我們體驗到的“信賴”給了我們勇氣和內心的自由，毫不猶豫地表達我們的共同點和不同點，以及我們的願望和請求，沒有拘束而且持謙卑的態度。

現在呢？我們希望從現在到2024年10月第二期會議的這幾個月，每個人都能具體地參與到“同道偕行”一詞所表達的傳教使命共融的活力之中。這並不是一種意識形態，而是根植於宗徒傳統的一種經驗。正如教宗在此進程開始時所提醒我們的：“如果不培養一種表達同道偕行具體性的教會實踐……，不促進眾人的真正參與，那麼共融與使命就有可能成為抽象的術語”（2021年10月9日）。挑戰是多樣的，問題也很多：第一期會議的綜合報告將闡明達成的共識，突出未解決的問題，並指出如何繼續開展工作。

為了在分辨中取得進展，教會絕對需要聽取所有人的意見，尤其是最貧窮的人。這需要教會進行一次皈依之旅，也是一次讚頌之旅：“父啊！天地的主宰，我稱謝祢，因為祢將這些事瞞住了智慧及明達的人，而啟示了給小孩子！”（路十21）這意味著要聽取那些在社會中沒有發言權或感到被排除的人的聲音，甚至被教會排除的人。傾聽遭受各種形式種族主義之害的人們，尤其在某些地區，那些其文化遭受嘲笑的原住民。我們這個時代的教會更有責任本著皈依的精神，傾聽那些受到教會成員侵犯的人，並做出具體、結構性的努力，確保這種情況不再發生。

教會也需要傾聽平信徒，無論男女，他們都因聖洗而來的使命蒙召成聖：例如那些在許多情況下最先傳播福音的要理傳教員的見證；兒童們的純真與活力、青年們的熱情以及他們的詢問和呼喚；老年人的夢想以及他們的智慧和記憶。教會需要聆聽家庭、他們對教育的關切，以及他們在今日世界中提供的基督信仰見證。教會要歡迎那些希望參與平信徒事工或參與分辨和決策機構的人們的聲音。

為了在同道偕行的分辨中取得進展，教會尤其需要進一步收集聖職人員的意見和經驗：司鐸，作為主教的首要合作者，其聖事職務對整個教會生活是不可或缺的；執事，通過他們的服務，表明整個教會對最脆弱者的關心。教會還必須接受奉獻生活的先知性聲音的挑戰，成為蒙聖神召喚的警覺哨兵。教會還必須關注那些不分享其信仰但在尋求真理的人，因為在他們中有聖神的臨在而且活躍，正是聖神給予“每個人以天主知道的方式參加逾越奧蹟的可能性”(《牧職憲章》22號)。

“我們蒙召去愛及服事這個處在矛盾中的世界，這要求教會在使徒工作的各領域加強協作。同道偕行正是天主期待第3千年代的教會行走的旅程。”（教宗方濟各，2015年10月17日）我們不應害怕回應這一召喚。聖母瑪利亞，這旅程上的先行者，在我們的朝聖之旅中陪伴我們。無論喜怒哀樂，她都向我們展示她的聖子，並邀請我們信賴祂。耶穌，祂是我們唯一的希望！

梵蒂岡城，2023年10月25日

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按此下載 "天主教會臺灣地區主教團與香港教區合譯" 中文版本 (與上文用詞稍有不同)

Synod General Assembly to People of God: 'Church must listen to everyone'

Participants in the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops have approved a Letter to the People of God giving thanks for their experience, detailing the work of the past few weeks, and expressing the hope that in the coming months, everyone will be able to "concretely participate in the dynamism of missionary communion indicated by the word 'synod'".

Letter of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to the People of God

Dear sisters, dear brothers,

As the proceedings of the first session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops draw to a close, we want to thank God with all of you for the beautiful and enriching experience we have lived. We lived this blessed time in profound communion with all of you. We were supported by your prayers, bearing with you your expectations, your questions, as well as your fears. As Pope Francis requested two years ago, a long process of listening and discernment was initiated, open to all the People of God, no one being excluded, to “journey together” under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, missionary disciples engaged in the following of Jesus Christ.

The session in which we have been gathered in Rome since 30 September is an important phase of this process. In many ways it has been an unprecedented experience. For the first time, at Pope Francis’ invitation, men and women have been invited, in virtue of their baptism, to sit at the same table to take part, not only in the discussions, but also in the voting process of this Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. Together, in the complementarity of our vocations, our charisms and our ministries, we have listened intensely to the Word of God and the experience of others. Using the conversation in the Spirit method, we have humbly shared the wealth and poverty of our communities from every continent, seeking to discern what the Holy Spirit wants to say to the Church today. We have thus also experienced the importance of fostering mutual exchanges between the Latin tradition and the traditions of Eastern Christianity. The participation of fraternal delegates from other Churches and Ecclesial Communities deeply enriched our discussions.

Our assembly took place in the context of a world in crisis, whose wounds and scandalous inequalities resonated painfully in our hearts, infusing our work with a particular gravity, especially since some of us come from countries where war rages. We prayed for the victims of deadly violence, without forgetting all those who have been forced by misery and corruption to take the dangerous road of migration. We assured our solidarity and commitment alongside the women and men all over the world who are working to build justice and peace.

At the invitation of the Holy Father, we made significant room for silence to foster mutual listening and a desire for communion in the Spirit among us. During the opening ecumenical vigil, we experienced how the thirst for unity increases in the silent contemplation of the crucified Christ. In fact, the cross is the only cathedra of the One who, having given himself for the salvation of the world, entrusted His disciples to His Father, so that “they may all be one” (John 17:21). Firmly united in the hope brought by His Resurrection, we entrusted to Him our common home where the cries of the earth and the poor are becoming increasingly urgent: “Laudate Deum!” (“Praise God!”), as Pope Francis reminded us at the beginning of our work.

Day by day, we felt the pressing call to pastoral and missionary conversion. For the Church’s vocation is to proclaim the Gospel not by focusing on itself, but by placing itself at the service of the infinite love with which God loved the world (cf. John 3:16). When homeless people near St. Peter’s Square were asked about their expectations regarding the Church on the occasion of this synod, they replied: “Love!”. This love must always remain the ardent heart of the Church, a Trinitarian and Eucharistic love, as the Pope recalled on October 15, midway through our assembly, invoking the message of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus. It is “trust” that gives us the audacity and inner freedom that we experienced, not hesitating to freely and humbly express our convergences, differences, desires and questions.

And now? We hope that the months leading to the second session in October 2024 will allow everyone to concretely participate in the dynamism of missionary communion indicated by the word “synod”. This is not about ideology, but about an experience rooted in the apostolic tradition. As the Pope reminded us at the beginning of this process, “communion and mission can risk remaining somewhat abstract, unless we cultivate an ecclesial praxis that expresses the concreteness of synodality (...) encouraging real involvement on the part of each and all” (October 9, 2021). There are multiple challenges and numerous questions: the synthesis report of the first session will specify the points of agreement we have reached, highlight the open questions, and indicate how our work will proceed.

To progress in its discernment, the Church absolutely needs to listen to everyone, starting with the poorest. This requires a path of conversion on its part, which is also a path of praise: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children” (Luke 10:21)! It means listening to those who have been denied the right to speak in society or who feel excluded, even by the Church; listening to people who are victims of racism in all its forms – in particular in some regions to indigenous peoples whose cultures have been scorned. Above all, the Church of our time has the duty to listen, in a spirit of conversion, to those who have been victims of abuse committed by members of the ecclesial body, and to commit herself concretely and structurally to ensuring that this does not happen again.

The Church also needs to listen to the laity, women and men, all called to holiness by virtue of their baptismal vocation: to the testimony of catechists, who in many situations are the first proclaimers of the Gospel; to the simplicity and vivacity of children, the enthusiasm of youth, to their questions, and their pleas; to the dreams, the wisdom and the memory of elderly people. The Church needs to listen to families, to their educational concerns, to the Christian witness they offer in today's world. She needs to welcome the voice of those who want to be involved in lay ministries and to participate in discernment and decision-making structures.

To progress further in synodal discernment, the Church particularly needs to gather even more the words and experience of the ordained ministers: priests, the primary collaborators of the bishops, whose sacramental ministry is indispensable for the life of the whole body; deacons, who, through their ministry, signify the care of the entire Church for the most vulnerable. She also needs to let herself be questioned by the prophetic voice of consecrated life, the watchful sentinel of the Spirit’s call. She also needs to be attentive to all those who do not share her faith but are seeking the truth, and in whom the Spirit, who “offers everyone the possibility of being associated with this paschal mystery” (Gaudium et Spes 22), is also present and operative.

“The world in which we live, and which we are called to love and serve, even with its contradictions, demands that the Church strengthen cooperation in all areas of her mission. It is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the Church of the third millennium” (Pope Francis, October 17, 2015). We do not need to be afraid to respond to this call. Mary, Mother of the Church, the first on the journey, accompanies our pilgrimage. In joy and in sorrow, she shows us her Son and invites us to trust. And He, Jesus, is our only hope!

Vatican City, October 25, 2023

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